EckerNet.Com

Now obviously I’m a big fan of the Minutemen and greatly admire the work they do. But if there is one thing that gets my blood boiling faster than illegal immigration it’s wasting money…especially due to incompetence or corruption. Both of which certainly sound like they could be at work within the Minutemen organization.

A growing number of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leaders and volunteers are questioning the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars in donations collected in the past 15 months, challenging the organization’s leadership over financial accountability.

Many of the group’s most active members say they have no idea how much money has been collected as part of its effort to stop illegal entry — primarily along the U.S.-Mexico border, what it has been spent on or why it has been funneled through a Virginia-based charity headed by conservative Alan Keyes.

Several of the group’s top lieutenants have either quit or are threatening to do so, saying requests to Minuteman President Chris Simcox for a financial accounting have been ignored.

Granted this is a government agency so they are not accountable to the taxpayers, but it’s not looking good. You’ll see what I mean.

Gary Cole, the Minutemen’s former national director of operations, was chief liaison to the national press corps during the group’s April 2005 border watch in Arizona. He was one of the first to raise questions about MCDC finances. He personally collected “tens of thousands of dollars” in donations during the 30-day border vigil. But despite numerous requests — many directly to Mr. Simcox — he was never told how much money had been collected or where it went.

Ok…maybe not a big deal…

The Minuteman organization has not made any financial statements or fundraising records public since its April 2005 creation. It also has sought and received extensions of its federal reporting requirements and has not given the Minuteman leadership, its volunteers or donors any official accounting. A financial statement promised to The Times by Mr. Simcox for May was never delivered.

Once again, maybe not a big deal. Maybe just red tape getting in the way. But it’s certain turning into a pattern.

Mike Gaddy, a retired Army veteran of Vietnam, Grenada and Beirut who helped organize the Minuteman’s April 2005 border watch as a field coordinator, said he and other volunteers challenged Mr. Simcox on numerous occasions to come up with a financial accounting and are suspicious of the need for hiring outside consultants.

It’s important to not these aren’t critics of the organization that are raising questions. These are supporters.

He said Mr. Simcox rejected his offer last year to personally pay for an audit to answer growing concern among the ranks about the group’s finances.

“He told me what he did was his business.

His business?? One would think it’s the whole organizations business.

Mr. Keyes said that MCDC is in the process of applying to the IRS for nonprofit status and that those responsible are “adhering to all relevant federal regulations.” He called concerns over finances and accountability “groundless,” saying they were being “bandied about by members of anti-immigrant and racialist groups, and other unsavory fringe elements attempting to hijack the border security debate to further their individual agendas.”

See that card only applies if it’s actually critics of your organization that are making the accusations. So far we’ve seen multiple current/former members of the organization raising questions. It’s not your critics leading this charge, it’s your own people…there’s a difference.

Earlier this year, Vern Kilburn resigned as director of operations for the Minuteman’s northern Texas sector because of what he called “professional differences with the management and business practices” of the MCDC national headquarters.

In a letter of resignation, he said Mr. Simcox and other Minuteman leaders offered “no acceptable answers” to concerns that he had about the management, accountability, ownership and the distribution of money for the Texas operation, adding that they were unable to verify Texas’ share of the Minuteman donations.

Several Minuteman volunteers said questions concerning the group’s finances intensified during October when money promised by Mr. Simcox and others for food and supplies never reached the volunteers on the line.

Some of the MCDC leaders gathered at the time to discuss replacing Mr. Simcox but reached no consensus. At that meeting, attended by The Times, they said money promised for field operations was never delivered and questioned the role of “outsiders” with the Minuteman organization.

When your own people are thinking of replacing you…yeah, you might have a problem.

Overall, it appears that something isn’t on the up and up within the Minuteman organization, otherwise I have to imagine some sort of proof of legitimacy would have been offered. Granted at this point it’s all pure speculation, but when the accused offers no defense, what is the jury supposed to think?

It would be a shame if this tarnished the name of the Minuteman and the good work they do. Here’s to hoping this is all just smoke and mirrors.